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Hi folks,
It's about that time for me to flush the water heater. When I lived at home we had an electric one in the daylight basement, but at my first home it's in the attic of my townhome. I feel as if I'll create a huge rusty mess in my house. Where would I drain it to? Should there be a drain in the attic I can feed the hose to or will i have to drain it down to an upstairs bathroom.
Does the water heater have a drain/catch pan? If it is in the attic it should. If there is a pan, then there should also be a drain pipe installed. If there is a pan, and a drain pipe, I would try pouring small amounts of water down until you can determine where the termination point is. Then once you are certain where it drains, then go for it.
To be safe and sure where the water is going, run a hose from the drain **** to the closest bathroom tub. The overflow drain may not be able to handle a full run of draining the water heater. I know they are supposed to, but supposed to and doing can be different. I'd be safe and go for the hose connected to the drain ****.
Drain pan drain line can be checked visually in the attic. It will usually run over to an exterior wall then run down. There should be a termination point someplace where you can see it. If your house is on a crawlspace, it might be there. Once you see the line looks like it is connected OK, then you can run a little water down and see if it comes out the other end.
You will probably drain the water heater with a garden hose anyway. You can control the flow with the shut off valve. It should not be a problem overflowing the pan. However, if you do have a bathroom close by, then run the hose down there. Just keep in mind, there may be some spillage when you disconnected the hose after you have drained it.
If you pull out the anode rod to check it, you might as well just replace it (if the water heater is over 4 years old).
Also keep in mind that if this is the first time to drain the water heater, and there is a lot of sediment in the tank, there is a fair chance the original shut off calve will clog up and you will not be able to shut it off fully. If your water heater has a plastic shut off valve, get a 3/4" nipple and a REAL hose faucet to install when the tank is fully drained.
If you do not have a drain pan in the attic, you may want to rethink the draining thing, since there is a good chance there will be some spilling going on.
If you plan to drain and refill rather than just flush, be certain you turn the heating elements off (d'Oh!)
Jon, are you saying to check the anode, (how?) or replace it?
True, it should have a drain pan, but I don't know if I would trust it (how to test it?) so I would probably attach a hose to the drain spigot.
This is from Rheem but other manufacturers also use anode rods.
Quote:
NOTICE: Do not remove
the anode rod from the water
heater’s tank, except for
inspection and/or replacement,
as operation with the anode
rod removed will greatly
shorten the life of the glass
lined tank and will exclude
warranty coverage.
Anode Rod
This water heater is equipped with an
anode rod designed to prolong the life of
the glass lined tank. The anode rod is
slowly consumed, thereby eliminating or
minimizing corrosion of the glass lined
tank.
Water sometimes contains a high sulfate
and/or mineral content and together with
cathodic protection process can produce a
hydrogen sulfide, or rotten egg odor in the
heated water. Chlorination of the water
supply should minimize the problem.
Alright folks. I'm going to try this tomorrow. Thanks for the guidance!
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